SAN JOSE — With one final piece of tournament action before they head into ACC play, the California Golden Bears (8-1) took on the Sacramento State Hornets (5-5) in their opening match of the Battle of NorCal.

With the Golden Bears riding a hot streak of six wins in a row, they raced to a fast start in the first set, winning 25-23. However, as they have done multiple times this season, they let their foot off the gas pedal a bit, allowing the Hornets to win the next two sets, 25-23 and 25-19.

After a motivational speech from assistant coach Alyssa Andreno in the air-conditioned hallway of Spartan Gym — which first opened in 1932 and was lacking any airflow in the actual gym — the Bears came out with a new level of intensity. The fourth set saw just one tie, as the Bears didn’t relinquish the lead a single time.

Cal flew to a 25-16 victory and seemed to control the momentum with the fifth set approaching. They jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the fifth, but the Hornets did not go down without a fight. There were 10 ties and five lead changes, but a strong final stretch from Abby Zimmerman closed out the victory for Cal with a 17-15 win.

The freshman outside hitter and daughter of Cal Hall of Famer Lisa Arce recorded a massive kill to make it 15-15, then forced a Sac State error and finished the match with an ace to clinch the win.

KEY FIGURES

17 — The number of kills freshman Abby Zimmerman recorded in the win.

6 — The number of service aces that the Golden Bears accumulated.

19 — The total number of digs that senior libero Sophia Johnson recorded.
7 — The number of matches in a row in which freshman setter Anna Flores has recorded 40+ assists.
7 — The number of matches Cal has won in a row, giving the program its longest winning streak since 2023 (12 in a row).

WHAT’S NEXT?

Cal will be take on San Jose State on Sunday Sept. 19 at 2:00 p.m. PT in a game that will be streaming on MW+.

STAY POSTED

For complete coverage of Cal volleyball, please follow the Bears on X (@CalVolleyball), Instagram (@calvolleyball), Facebook (@CalVolleyball), and TikTok (@calbearsvb).